Chapter 2
Saturday before either of them either knew it. Well, Tony knew it. He had been counting down the days until his date with Stephen. Funnily enough, Stephen had also been keeping a closer eye on the day. Not that there was any correlation, of course.
When they woke up that morning, they were both full of excitement. They had the full day ahead of them before their date that night and neither of them knew what to do. In the end, they ended up going to a movie at Rhodey’s suggestion.
The minute they got back, they both raced towards their rooms to shower and get ready. Rhodey just stood back and laughed at the pair. Since they already technically live together, Tony and Stephen decided that Tony would pick Stephen up at his bedroom door instead of the front door.
“Hey, Tones, open up. It’s me,” Rhodey said while pushing open the door slightly. He stepped in when the gap was large enough. The first thing he noticed was the pile of clothes thrown on the bed. The next thing Rhodey noticed was Tony laying face down on the bed, wearing nothing but a towel. “Tony?”
“I don’t know what to fucking wear,” he mumbled into the bed, not bothering to pick his head up. “All of my clothes look like shit and he’s going to look amazing and he’s going to cancel the date when he sees me.”
“Tones, calm down. I promise you that he’s not going to cancel on you just because of what you wear. I’m sure he’s doing the same thing across the hall right now,” Rhodey walked over to the side, sitting next to Tony. He pulled on his shoulder some, encouraging him to sit up. “Do you need me to pick out an outfit for you?”
“As much as I hate to admit it, I think so. Just don’t make me look stupid, okay?”
“I promise that I won’t, but I’m going to check on Stephen to make sure he isn’t spiraling downwards over an outfit like you,” Rhodey said as he went to the door. “I’ll be right back.”
Rhodey opened the door and stepped back out. He walked across the hall and knocked on the door. He heard a mumble, and took that as a go head to walk in. He almost burst out laughing when he walked in. Stephen was almost exactly how Tony was. Once again, he saw clothes laying on the bed with Stephen laying in a towel next to the pile. The only difference was that Stephen was on his back instead of his front.
“Everything okay, Stephen?” Rhodey had to hold back a laugh. These dumbasses were perfect for eachother, without question.
“I don’t know what to wear,” Stephen said, also opting not to look up at Rhodey. “He’s going to look amazing and I’m going to look like I rolled out of a garbage can.” Rhodey burst out laughing, thinking about how Tony said almost the same thing. “What’s so funny?”
“Nothing, nothing. I just wanted to make sure you weren’t spiralling downwards on the outfit. Seems to me like you are, just like I expected,” Rhodey walked over to the bed and sat down. “I promise you that you’re going to look great no matter what you wear. I can also promise you that Tony is worrying about the same thing across the hall.”
“Bullshit, he always looks amazing. He doesn’t even have to try.”
“He’ll probably kill me for telling you this, but he thinks the same thing about you. Now, sit up,” Rhodey stood back up as Stephen sat up.
“What should I wear?”
“Something casual that you would wear any other day. Okay, maybe not any other day since you usually wear sweatpants to class, but nice jeans and a shirt.”
“Thank you, Rhodey,” Stephen said as he stood up, immediately walking over to his dresser. Rhodey just nodded at the man and walked out.
He didn’t even bother knocking on the door this time. When he walked in, he noticed that Tony had plopped back down on his bed. But he had made some progress, as he now had jeans and socks on.
“I see that you decided to dress yourself after all,” Rhodey said to make his presence known. Tony sat back up to look at him.
“No, I didn’t. All I did was put some jeans on. I still have no idea what shirt to wear.”
“Don’t worry about that, I know just the one,” Rhodey went over to the others closet, intending to grab a shirt out before realizing it was on the bed. Once he found it, he held it out to him, telling him, “Tones, put this on.”
The shirt that Rhodey handed him was a simple, black AC/DC shirt. It was one that he wore all the time, far too much to be acceptable for a date.
“Honeybear, I can’t wear this. I literally wear this all the time, he’ll think I’m being lazy and don’t care about this enough,” Tony complained.
“Tones, shut up and put the shirt on. You’re both dressing casually, as if it was any other day. I promise that he won’t think that you don’t care.”
“Fine,” Tony took the shirt off the hanger and slipped it on. “I feel like I need a jacket.”
“Here, put this one on. Yes, I know that you wear it all the time, but we’ve been over this,” Rhodey said, knowing what Tony was about to say. Rhodey threw a leather jacket at Tony, and it just happened to be Tony’s favorite one. Rhodey knew this, of course. That’s why he picked it. He knew that it would give him the confidence boost that he needed. “Put your Doc Martens on. It’ll go well with the rest of the look.”
“Okay, I can do that,” Tony said, walking over to the closest to grab them. “Thanks, platypus.”
“Of course. Now, I’m going to see if Stephen needs anything before you guys leave,” Tony nodded, bending down to lace his boots. Once again, Rhodey walked out of the room and across the hall. He did, however, knock on the door. Just in case Stephen was getting dressed. He heard a muffled “come in,” so he pushed the door open. Stephen was farther along than Tony was. He had both jeans and a shirt already on and he was standing in front of his closet, presumably looking for a jacket. Rhodey was right, Stephen grabbed a jacket out as he closed the door.
“Are you ready?”
“Yeah, I think so. I just need to put some shoes on,” Stephen replied, sitting on his bed. “It doesn’t look like I don’t care, right?”
“Not at all. I think that he’ll love it,” Rhodey replied honestly.
“Really? Don’t bullshut me, Rhodey,” Stephen’s voice was stern and full of worry. Stephen was acting as if the two didn’t already live together. Like they didn’t already know everything about each other and haven’t been in love for forever.
“I promise that I’m not bullshitting you, Stephen.”
“Thank you, Rhodey. I’m just anxious about it. What if I mess it up?”
“Stephen, you could literally burn the place down and he would still lo- want to go on a date with you,” Rhodey said, quickly catching himself before he said that Tony loved Stephen. Sure, the two were obvious as hell, but only to Rhodey. He doubted that either of them actually knew how deeply the other felt. If Stephen head Rhodey’s almost slip up, he doesn’t mention it.
“Okay. Well, I definitely won’t do that, so we’re good,” Stephen breathed a sigh of relief.
“I’ll leave you to finish getting ready. You’ve got this,” Rhodey walked over to the door, opened it, then walked back across the hall. Stephen flopped back onto his bed. He wasn’t as nervous anymore, but there was still some left over nerves.
Tony was finally dressed when Rhodey walked back in. He was in the bathroom, fretting over his hair and brushing his teeth. Rhodey resisted the urge to slap Tony’s hands away from his head. Mainly because Tony would do it either way.
“Hey, platypus.”
“Hey, Tones. You almost ready?”
“I’m ready, I’m just brushing my teeth and dicking around with my hair. Before you say it, I already know it looks fine, just let me live.”
“I wasn’t going to say anything. I know you’re anxious about this, but I promise that he’ll love it. You and I both know that.”
“I know, I know,” Tony walked out of the bathroom, wiping his face with the back of his hand. “Have you seen my wallet?”
“Yeah, it’s where you literally always put it. I’ll go grab it for you,” Rhodey said as he stood. He heard Tony say ‘thank you,’ but was out the door before he could respond.
Rhodey was back a few seconds later, holding Tony’s wallet in his hand. He threw the wallet at his friend, who almost didn’t catch it. He did, though, and he immediately stuck it in his pocket. He nodded as he did so.
“Alright, get out of here. Go pick up Stephen from his bedroom and leave, I don’t want to see either of you anymore,” Rhodey laughed as he pushed his friend out of his room. Once out of the room, however, Tony immediately walked over to the living room. He paced a little bit and then walked over to Stephen’s door. He brought his hand up and knocked before he could stop himself. Stephen opened the door a few seconds later.
“You look amazing,” Tony said immediately.
“Thank you. You look wonderful,” Stephen replied. Rhodey, who was standing in the corner watching them, could feel the anxiety radiating off the pair.
“Are you ready to go?” Tony walked out of the way, heading to the kitchen and grabbing his keys. Stephen followed behind him.
“Yeah, I am,” Stephen rubbed his hands on the front of his jeans.
“Wait, before you guys go, I want to tell you something,” Rhodey stopped them before they could go. “I want you guys back here before two, okay? Also don’t do anything stupid.”
“We’ll be fine, mom,” Tony said jokingly. “Let’s go, Steph, I don’t want to be late.”
Stephen nodded at Tony and waved goodbye to Rhodey. The pair walked down to where Tony’s car was parked together. Since Stephen didn’t have a car, they would have to take Tony’s.
“So, do I get to know where we’re going yet?” Stephen asked a few minutes into the drive.
“Nope. You don’t get to know until we’re there. Trust me?” Tony looked over at the med student and smiled.
“With hesitance, yes, I trust you.” Tony looked back over at him and gave him another smile. Any hesitation that Stephen had melted away at that smile. They sat in comfortable silence for the rest of the ride, just enjoying being with each other.
That was one thing that they each valued about the relationship they already had. They could talk about everything and nothing for hours on end and still have things to talk about. On the other hand though, they could also sit in silence for hours, just enjoying each other’s company.
Tony pulled into the parking spot and got out of the car, walking around to Stephen’s door to open it for him. Stephen thanked him and almost immediately tripped while getting out. Luckily, Tony caught him before he fell. A blush quickly spread over their faces. Stephen mumbled out another “thanks” as he got back on his own feet.
“Where are we, Tony?” Stephen was looking up at the building, but was struggling to see any name. The building had a large dome, which should have been a huge hint, but it didn’t click for Stephen.
“We’re at the planetarium. I don’t know if you remember this, but back in high school you went on a rant about how much you loved looking at the stars, and just how much you love space in general. I remembered you saying that the biggest adjustment after moving here was not being able to see the stars at night and how much you missed it. I hope I’m not overstepping, but I thought that you might like this,” Tony rambled as Stephen started walking towards him. When Tony was within reaching distance, Stephen immediately pulled him into a hug. It wasn’t one like they had before. No, this was an almost bone-crushing, love filled hug. Tony wrapped his arms around Stephen just as tight.
“Thank you, Tony. I think you’re the one person that actually remembered that,” Stephen was practically whispering. “You’re not overstepping at all. I love it.”
“I’m glad, I was really afraid that you would think I was being weird or that I would scare you off.”
“You won’t scare me off, I promise,” Stephen started to loosen his arms, intending to pull away. Tony reluctantly unwrapped his arms.
“As long as you’re sure. Now, shall we go inside?”
“We shall,” Stephen replied and Tony grabbed his hand, dragging him towards the door. They were both smiling and laughing, glad that this was finally happening.
Tony held the door open, letting Stephen walk in before him. Tony walked in behind him and grabbed his hand again. They walked over to a second door, one that led to where they would actually watch the presentation. Once inside, they walked over to two seats and sat next to each other. They held each other’s hand the entire time, not wanting to let go.
Tony watched Stephen more than the actual show. He watched the way Stephen’s eyes and smile shone as bright as the stars. He realized that there was nowhere he’d rather be than by Stephen’s side for as long as possible.
In turn, Stephen would also look over at Tony, watching how his eyes lit up as he watched the constellations dance above their heads. Stephen already knew that he wanted to be by Tony’s side forever, but this just solidified that.
At one point, they each looked over at the same time. Instead of quickly turning away, like Stephen wanted to, they shared a soft, sweet, full of emotion smile that made each of them melt.
About an hour later, once the show was over, Tony and Stephen were walking out of the building hand-in-hand. Both of them were smiling like idiots, but neither of them cared. They walked back to Tony’s car and, once again, Tony held the door open for Stephen.
A few minutes into the drive, Tony asked, “Are you hungry?”
“Honestly, not really. We can stop and get something if you’d like, though.”
“I’m not super hungry either, I just wanted to make sure that you aren’t,” Tony was silent for a few seconds. “Did you like the planetarium?”
“I had a lot of fun. Honestly, I had forgotten how much I liked looking at the stars and how much I miss it.”
“I’m glad you liked it. I’ve spent so long trying to come up with the perfect date, and then I was worried that I was overstepping. I didn’t realize how weird it sounded that I remembered that until I was saying it out loud.”
“I don’t think it's weird at all, Tony. I think it’s actually really sweet how you remembered that and used it to come up with the perfect date,” Stephen put his hand on top of Tony’s since it was resting on the console. “If you don’t mind me asking, how long did it take to come up with this?”
Tony hesitated, not sure if he should tell Stephen how long he’d actually been planning this date. In the end, he told him the truth, “Since the day that you went on that rant. I’ve been finetuning it, I guess you could say, since then.”
“You’ve been planning this for six years?” Stephen asked, shock in his voice. “Tony, why the hell didn’t you ask me earlier!”
“Because I was afraid. I wasn’t even planning to ask you on Wednesday, it just happened. Before I knew it, I was asking and slightly panicking.”
“Tony, there was no need to worry. I had a deal with myself that if you never asked by the end of this year, then I would ask you. But, you beat me to it,” Stephen never moved his hand off of Tony’s, just gripped it a little tighter. “Which, for the record, I’m glad you did. My idea was nowhere near as throughout.”
“What’s your idea? Because it’s your turn to plan the next date,” Tony didn’t realize what those words did to Stephen. It showed Stephen that Tony really wanted to be with him, and that he trusted him.
“It was going to be dinner and then a walk in the park. It sounds stupid now that I’m saying it out loud.”
“It doesn’t sound stupid at all, Steph. I think it sounds like an amazing date,” Tony glanced over at Stephen, giving him a reassuring smile.
“Are you sure?” Stephen asked and Tony nodded. “Well, how does next Saturday sound? Assuming nothing comes up, of course.”
“I think that sounds absolutely amazing,” Tony glanced at Stephen again, giving him that same smile. They were back at their apartment now, so Tony once again opened Stephen’s door for him. “Same way as tonight?”
“That sounds perfect,” Stephen smiled, opening the main door for Tony this time. They walked to the elevator together, hand-in-hand once again. They stood in the elevator in silence, enjoying each other’s company.
When they got to their front door, Tony pulled out his keys first, opening the door for Stephen for the final time that night. Rhodey was sitting on the couch watching a movie, despite it being way later than he usually stays up.
“Hey, love birds,” he said over his shoulder, not saying anything else. Tony and Stephen walked to Stephen’s bedroom door, stopping just before Stephen went in.
“Thank you again, Tony. I had a really fun time,” Stephen said. “I’m excited for next Saturday.”
“I am, too. I’m glad you had fun tonight, Steph,” Tony was nervous again, debating if he should kiss Stephen or not. He was about to lose his chance though, as Stephen was turning to open his door. Tony reached out to stop him, pulling him in before either of them realized. It was soft, sweet, and full of emotion, just like the smile they shared earlier in the night.
“Good night, Tony,” Stephen whispered before kissing Tony’s forehead and walking through the door. Tony said good night back, but his voice barely worked. He could melt right there and be fine with it. However, he didn’t melt. Just walked over to the living room and plopped on the couch next to Rhodey.
“Tell me about it, how was it?” Rhodey asked, once again not bothering to look up at Tony. Tony immediately went into a retelling of the date, leaving almost nothing out. He did, however, leave out the part about Stephen tripping into his arms, mainly for the other’s pride. Tony talked for about half an hour while Rhodey occasionally interjected. The movie was off, but he had turned to Tony in order to show he was paying attention.
At the end of the night, Tony and Rhodey each went into their separate rooms. Tony laid on his bed and stared at the ceiling, thinking about the kiss until he fell asleep. He had already started thinking about how he would propose, assuming they would make it that long. Tony had a strong feeling that they would. At least, he was hopeful.
Stephen was also staring at the ceiling in his room, also thinking about the date, both tonight’s and the one that he now had to finish planning. Not that he minded, of course. He was ecstatic for it.